Happy 31st, G

As always, G-money's mail seems to end up at Fort Awesome around this time of year:

Calculate your suffering

In case you missed it, both Sports Illustrated and the Inky had stories about Philly passing its 100th season since the city's last championship with the Flyers loss yesterday. The SI list hits the top 10 pretty well too, absolutely nailing the worst moment of the drought (yeah, that game).

But with all due respect to those fine publications, the NHL didn't have a season in 2004. So that puts the drought at 99 seasons, including one strike-shortened baseball season where no one won a championship.

Still, it was nice to see someone put this chart up so I could appreciate Boston's pain.

Checking the trends

No Philly sports today!

Thanks to two playoff runs at the Wachovia Center and several scheduling quirks, today is the first time in 47 consecutive days (March 26, for those who want to check the math) that the Phillies, Flyers or Sixers aren't suiting up and competing against someone. And if you want to include the Phils spring training games, today is the first time in 78 days (Feb. 24) that there are no Philly scores to check on.

I can't imagine that's any sort of record -- in the fall, all four teams are playing at the same time, at least with pre-season games -- but it is a nice chance to calm down for a day.

Although, I had to see that stupid "T.O. acting" report all day, so my blood pressure is still up pretty high.

Getting ready for tonight

In case you forgot that tonight's Flyers game is against a true rival, here's a quick look at the history of bad blood between Pittsburgh and Philly:

1939 – The Philadelphia Eagles upend the Pittsburgh Steelers, 17-14, in the first-ever game Thanksgiving Day game for both teams. On radio, the play-by-play is handled by a then 60-years-young Myron Cope.

1947 – The Pittsburgh Ironmen finish their first and only basketball season with a 15-45 record. The Philadelphia Warriors finish their inaugural season that year as well, but it takes them seven more years before posting their first 40-loss campaign.

1953 – After the Eagles sweep their season series against the Steelers with a pair of double-digit victories, a distraught Jonas Salk unsuccessfully tries to find a cure for sports despair in his University of Pittsburgh lab, but instead stumbles upon a polio vaccine. He later neglects to thank Philadelphia for the inspiration.

1976 – Rocky, the story of an underdog boxer whose life reflects his hometown's inspirational spirit, wins the Academy Award for Best Picture. Pittsburgh attempts it's own theatrical reflection of itself later the same year -- Dawn of the Dead hits theater screens in 1978.

1987 – 3B Mike Schmidt hits his 500th home run – a 9th inning, game winner – in Pittsburgh to push the Phils over the Pirates 8-6. The Pirates have not won a game since.

2000 – In the third longest game in NHL history, the Flyers take the Penguins into five overtimes before Philly C Keith Primeau nets the game-winner over the shoulder of Pittsburgh G Ron Tugnutt. Philly fans celebrate in gentlemanly fashion by declining to go for the easy Tugnutt notes.

2002 – Former Philadelphia mayor Ed Rendell is elected governor of Pennsylvania despite carrying only six counties in the state’s democratic primary. Shortly thereafter, all official state maps are reworked to close the PA border 30 miles further east, assigning Pittsburgh as part of West Virginia.

2007 – Temple researchers discover populated areas located in the 300-mile no-man's-zone between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. No one cares.

Posting problems

Folks -- hoping you can help me out. Every time I try and throw something up on this site about the Flyers, I get this error message:



Any idea what that's about?